Noah and the ark is a familiar story to all Christians and many cultures across the globe. Still, many evolutionists scoff at the idea of a global flood, and persist in uniformitarian thought that "the present is the key to the past." This means that whatever is happening today happened in the same way in the past, and is a "dogma that can only be assumed and asserted, but it, by definition, impossible to verify." (John Roberts) But this way of looking at Earth's geologic history is extremely narrow-minded. Scientists completely ignore many geologic formations that could only have been formed by great catastrophic events (6). One of these events is the flood, and there is much global evidence to support this.
During the Antediluvian period, the Earth's climate was much different. Because of the water canopy above the Earth, there was no wind, rain, storms, snow, or ice. The fossil record supports this because many plants have been found with hair-like, shallow root systems instead of strong, deep roots that modern plants need to survive. The Oceans were also shallower (4). Now, the Earth's crust is thought to be 25 miles thick under the continents, but only 3 miles thick under the oceans. Earth's continents were all connected into a super-continent called "Pangea."
The entire Earth enjoyed a sub-tropic climate, people lived much longer (the canopy blocked all damaging radiation), and organisms grew much larger. Fossils have been found of cockroaches over a foot in diameter; asparagus 40 feet long; dragonflies with a wingspan of three feet; clams two feet in diameter; hornless rhinos 17 feet tall; deer antlers 12 feet across; and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and other reptiles grew especially large because reptiles don't stop growing until they die.
The water canopy described in the Bible was actually a crystalline canopy that was formed "as H2O became separated by energy and compression, light passed through the free Hydrogen and bonds into Crystalline. Short wave electromagnetic energy waves are caught and collected in the opaqueness of the canopy and suspended in an electromagnetic field around the earth. The crystalline canopy was super-conductive and would be held in place by earth's gravitational field" (5).
This canopy would have had a great effect on the Earth. It would have provided an increased oxygen supply, blocked all short-wave (damaging) radiation, produced a more humid environment, and produced a global tropic climate. In addition, Earth's atmospheric pressure was doubled (5). Because of this, oxygen supply to life forms would have greatly increased. There is evidence of this in ancient Amber, which has been found with 35-50% more oxygen trapped inside. (Berner, Robert. New Scientist Magazine. March 11, 2000.) Under this kind of pressure, blood plasma would have become oxygen saturated, greatly increasing life expectancy. (Landis, Gary (geochemist). Geological Survey Time Magazine. November 9, 1987)
This crystalline canopy would also produce 63/65-Angstrom Magenta light in the atmosphere, which "causes plants to grow much larger and produce a much larger yield" (5). There is also evidence that an increased oxygen supply increases body size in animals: "Some animals living near the poles become super-sized monsters compared to their lower-latitude cousins and now scientists know why- they have more oxygen to breathe." (May 13, 1999, BBC News. Online.) Insects breathe through their skin, so the Crystalline Canopy, which increased oxygen levels and air pressure, also allowed insects to grow larger (5). There is also evidence that dinosaurs would not have been able to survive if there were not larger levels of oxygen present in the air. For instance, the 80-foot-long Apatosaurus had a set of nostrils about the same size as a horse's. With such a small lung capacity, these huge creatures would not have survived with out much more oxygen.
Despite all this evidence, Evolutionary theory maintains that Earth's prehistoric atmosphere actually contained less oxygen than it does today. However, the evidence points towards an atmosphere that contained more oxygen, not less.
Evolutionary theory states that dinosaurs died out millions of years before people were even heard of. "For unless dinosaurs lived hundreds of millions of years ago prior to the existence of humans, the whole theory of evolution is thrown a serious loop" (11). Dinosaurs are not extinct. An example of a living dinosaur is the Tuatara, which lives on Kawau Island, it "is indeed a dinosaur," and "is not extinct" (11). Dinosaurs were also alive at the same time as people, and are described in the Bible in many places.
These include Job 41, and Psalms 91:13. Before the word 'dinosaur' was coined in 1841, dinosaurs were called dragons, and are described in legends from around the world (7).
In addition, dinosaurs have been found unfossilized, containing soft tissue that could not be millions of years old (13). An example of this is a Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil found in Montana that was dated at 70 million years. "Not only were blood cells found, but soft and pliable tissue as well, including flexible blood vessels" (13). This is very embarrassing for the evolutionist population, as "soft tissue decays rather quickly under any condition" (13). In addition, these bones "do not even show any evidence of secondary mineralization (i.e., they are still totally bone, not fossil)" (1). Dinosaur eggs were found and claimed to be 70 million years old, yet they still "posses a putrid small, and contained enough intact tissue to enable immunological testing" (1). From an Evolutionary perspective, this is impossible. From a Creationist perspective, this is perfect.
Other fossil evidence also exists in support of human-dinosaur cohabitation. Human vertebrae have been found in "Cretaceous sediment" in Ocucaja Desert, Ica, Peru. The above photo contains footprints of dinosaurs and humans fossilized right next to each other. More evidence of humans and dinosaurs living together has been found in Russia; Lagoa Santa, Brazil; Matto Grosso, Brazil; Ica, Peru; Glen Rose, Texas; and Charleston, South Carolina. Also, there is evidence that humans and mammoths lived at the same time. There was a mammoth tooth discovered with an engraving of a mammoth etched into it. Obviously a person could not do this if he had never seen one before.
In addition, the studies of Richard Owen announced that dinosaurs are more advanced than modern retiles. If Evolution formed dinosaurs before modern reptiles, the opposite should be true.
The Bible states that it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Noah was allowed to take his wife, three sons, and his sons' wives. In addition, two of every kind of unclean animal, and seven of every clean kind were led to the ark by God. Noah sent out a dove who returned with an olive branch, then after being sent out a second time, never returned. After 371 days, the passengers of the ark left the ark. The first thing Noah did after landing was to build an alter and worship God.
If the Bible is to be considered as historically accurate, everything that occurred should be explainable, and there should be evidence of a world-wide flood. The first thing that should be explained is the origin of enough water to cover all land on Earth. It is hypothesized that much of this water came from the Lower Mantle. "The Lower Mantle of Earth indicates 5 times more water than in the oceans" (5). This is supported by the Bible in Genesis 7:11: "…On that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." The "great deep" mentioned here can be interpreted as the Earth opening up in earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other seismic activity, including the break-up of Pangae. Under the Upper Mantle, the pressure is equal to 250,000 atmospheres, so the water would have no problem spraying out and flooding the Earth (5).
The next logical question would be "Where did all that water go?" Some of the floodwater went into oceans or underground, but most of it froze. This is explained in greater detail under "Ice Age." Another logical question would be about the ark's ability to survive such a violent flood. There is also evidence to show that such a craft would likely survive. The ark's dimensions have been confirmed by naval engineers to be "ideal for stability of a barge-type craft," the inside and outside were covered in pitch, and the ark could have survived waves of up to 200 feet, plus it could right itself even if capsized 90 degrees on its side (5). It is clear that the ark would have no problem surviving this cataclysm.
Another question I have been asked regarding the Flood, is "How did Noah fit all those animals on the ark, especially if dinosaurs were on board?" The bible states that God told Noah to take the different kinds of animals onto the ship, not two of every species. For example, Noah did not have to take a pair of coyotes, a pair of wolves, and a pair of dogs. All of these animals are the same kind. "Each of these kinds could split into a number of varieties when small populations containing a fraction of the original pre-existing genetic information became isolated. Copying errors (mutations) which reduce information can produce other varieties" (16). Generally, an animal is the same kind as another if the two can reproduce and form viable offspring. However, this can be hard to define, as can "species." "Despite all the time and energy that has been devoted to identifying different forms of life, defining exactly what a species is has proved remarkably difficult." Due to reproductive isolation, we are able to arrive at the species variation we have today.
But a major animal group is being neglected here: the aquatic life. Noah did not make a provision for these animals on the ark, so it is assumed they remained in the ocean. However, the change in salinity, temperature, and chemical composition was enough to kill 96% of aquatic life.
Furthermore, if these specimens on the ark were expected to repopulate the earth, then these animals would have to be very young, so they would be at their reproductive peak when the ark landed and the waters receded. Therefore, larger animals like cows, horses, or even the t-rex would have been babies, or maybe even eggs. Dr. H.L. Willmington states that the "total animal population would not have exceeded 35,000 vertebrates," the average size of which would be "that of a sheep" (20). A "modern train of 150 boxcars could carry this," and the "ark had carrying capacity of over 520 boxcars!" (20). Finally, during pre-flood times, the animals did not eat the flesh of other animals, so they would not eat each other on the ark. It wasn't until after the flood that creatures began to eat meat. Before this, all nutrients were obtained from vegetation. This may be hard to accept after looking at creatures like Tyrannosaurus Rex, with his large claws and sharp teeth. But one must also look at creatures such as the Panda Bear. It has sharp, fang-like teeth and large, lethal claws, yet the panda is a vegetarian, and uses those teeth on bamboo. Also, the human appendix supports this way of life, as it "helped our distant ancestors digest a mainly plan-based diet."
Next, if a giant boat were to land on top of a mountain, it makes sense that people would have been able to see it for several thousand years. This is also supported by evidence. For instance, Chaldean high priest Barosus observed the ark in 475 B.C. Armenian historian, Hippa, wrote about his sighting of the ark in 360 A.D. Marco Polo even documented seeing the boat in 1269 A.D. Once again, the story of the ark is substantiated.
Finally, one should expect to find global geologic evidence of a catastrophe of this magnitude. Such evidence is abundant. "Millions of calcified animals are found in mass deep in the Earth's fissures, the Earth's strata shows pancake layering, and a calcium carbonate shelf runs thousands of miles from Texas to the East Coast, through Europe and into Africa" (5). There are marine fossils found on top of Mt. Everest, as well as several fossil beds where fossils are so densely buried that scientists cannot explain how they came to be. These include a specific fossil bed in Arizona where billions of large nautiloids are packed in a Redwall Limestone layer that extends through the Grand Canyon region. This huge fossil bed is seven feet thick, and spans approximately 17,000 square miles. Most of these creatures were fossilized facing the same direction, which indicates, "they were not only buried rapidly but that they were transported from the same direction in a single catastrophic event" (1). In addition, there is a giant mud deposit that spans the majority of North America called the Canadian Shield. There are massive coal seams that span three or four states, and also in the Arctic. Coal is produced from vegetation that is put under considerable pressure, so it stands to reason that a global flood is the only thing that could pressurize all this matter into coal.
If a flood killed everyone of Earth, then all people alive today are the descendants of Noah. If the Flood actually happened, there should be evidence in ancient cultures of a Flood. Scientists agree that a common tradition among different people groups indicate a common ancestor. After examining all 33 ancient cultures of the world, it can be concluded that they did, in fact, descend from Noah. There are 272 legends from around the world of a global flood, as well as countless ancient documentations and historians' accounts of the ark itself (5). This is the evidence collected from the 33 ancient cultures that existed after the Flood:
All 33 ancient cultures have a flood tradition.
As I do not wish to insult your intelligence, I will let the evidence speak for itself.
Perhaps the greatest impact the Flood had on the Earth was to bring about the Ice Age. The Ice Age happened around seven hundred years after the Flood, between four and five thousand years ago. Old Earth supporters believe that there were many ice ages throughout Earth's history, but "it's more likely they were advance/ retreat cycles within a single Ice Age" (16). These Old Earth supporters also have no idea what caused the Ice Age to take place. "Obviously the climate would need to be colder. But global cooling by itself is not enough, because then there would be less evaporation, so less snow. How is it possible to have both a cold climate and lots of evaporation? When 'all the fountains of the great deep' broke up, much hot water and lava would have poured directly into the oceans. This would have warmed the oceans, increasing evaporation. At the same time, much volcanic ash in the air after the Flood would have blocked out much sunlight, cooling the land" (16). Here we have the perfect combination for the beginning of an Ice Age.
Of course, we must also look for evidence that indicates this Ice Age. Features such as the Channeled Scablands show evidence of being formed through water from the Ice-Age melting and flooding rivers, being blocked by a natural ice dam. This forms a lake until the dam breaks. This process has been observed in Montana. The lake Missoula burst an ice dam in Idaho, and "500 cubic miles of water poured westward at express train speed-the Spokane Flood" (16) This disaster formed the Grand Coulee, a "50-mile long trench, one to six miles wide, with steep walls up to 900 feet high, chiseled through hard basalt and granite" (16). However many geologists reject the idea that this process formed the Channeled Scablands because of the "anticatastrophism bias in the geological community" (16). Even though the Ice Age is "not a showcase for uniformitarian geologists" (Oard, Michael. Lecture. The Great Ice Age, Holly Hills Bible Church. October 14, 2005).
There is also reason to believe that many of Earths post-Cambrian fossils were deposited in this Ice Age. The resultant transitional climate of the Ice Age would have caused greater temperature differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The conflict in temperature would have caused dust storms that bury and fossilize organisms rapidly; resulting in a fossil (Oard). The resulting fossils would include broken front legs, and an almost verticle position. Fossils of Wolly Mammoths have both of these traits.
